U S J I C O N E W S L E T T E R M A Y 2 0 1 8 I S S U E 8
C R I T I C A L T H I N K I N G
C r i t i c a l t h i n k i n g, o r t h e s k i l l o f " t h i n k i n g r a t i o n a l l y a n d c l e a r l y a b o u t w h a t t o d o o r b e l i e v e ", i s e x p e c t e d t o b e o n e o f t h e t o p 3 m o s t s o u g h t- a f t e r s k i l l s i n e m p l o y e e s b y 2 0 2 0. I t i s a f u n d a m e n t a l a b i l i t y a s i t c a n b e a p p l i e d t o a l l a r e a s i n l i f e. A c c o r d i n g t o t h e H o n g K o n g U n i v e r s i t y, b e s i d e s b e i n g e s s e n t i a l f o r s e l f- r e f l e c t i o n, i t i m p r o v e s l a n g u a g e a n d p r e s e n t a t i o n s k i l l s, s t i m u l a t e s c r e a t i v i t y a n d i s t h e b a s i s o f s c i e n c e a n d d e m o c r a c y.
T h e O p e n U n i v e r s i t y o u t l i n e s a“ s t a i r w a y” t o f a c i l i t a t e s t u d e n t c o m p r e h e n s i o n r e g a r d i n g t h e c o n c e p t:
1. Process. Take in the information.
2. Understand. Comprehend the key points, assumptions, arguments and evidence presented.
6. Evaluate. Assess the worth of an idea in terms of its relevance to your needs, the evidence on which it is based and how it relates to other pertinent ideas.
3. Analyze. Examine how these key components fit together and are related.
7. Apply. Transfer the understanding to the matter in question.
4. Compare. Explore the similarities and differences.
8. Justify. Use critical thinking to justify your arguments and opinions.
5. Synthesize. Bring together different sources of information and make logical connections.
Sources: http:// philosophy. hku. hk / think / critical / ct. php, https:// learn1. open. ac. uk Pictures: https:// www. opencolleges. edu. au, https:// cemahcreative. com, gowithcb. com